An abundance of sunshine and perfect racing temperatures may not have
made the Captain Thurmond's Challenge 24 mile course any
shorter; but it may have made it a little easier to smile amidst the
pain. Fifty-one teams and solo competitors took to the New River Gorge
for this notorious race that carries along with it some serious
bragging rights, and deservedly so.

This triathlon-style event starts in the historically infamous town of
Thurmond, along the banks of the New River. Captain Thurmond himself
was there, firing the gun for the lemans-style start. Once on the
bikes, it was into the woods for some reasonably technical single
track, leaving passing opportunities few and far between. There's no
room for excuses though, because the final 4 miles was a railroad
grade dirt highway right beside the New river, all the way to Cunard.

Wes McDonald cruisin' to Cunard

All bikes were dropped at the edge of the commercial parking lot at
the Cunard Access while all soon-to-be-paddlers ran down to the rivers
edge. The Fayette Station gauge was reading somewhere below -1 foot,
making the longer boats that much more valuable through the long, slow
pools; but the rapids gave racers quite a few more rocks to pick good
lines through this year, and the straight, clean lines weren't quite so
easy to find.

Once paddlers hit the shore below Fayette Station rapid, it was time
for a run up out of the gorge into Fayetteville Town Park, 1000 feet
above the the New River. Although slightly shorter this year, runners
were handed slightly more elevation, staying on Fayette Station Road
until the Kaymoor Trail parking area, where it was left onto rough,
steep single track littered with softball size boulders. Near the very
top, runners gained their stride through soft rolling trails leading
to the park, and an awaiting crowd of impressed spectators.

Low water made the paddling even more fun

The first team to cross the finish line and take the overall win was
Good, Bad, & Ugly(2:00:54). This Male Expert team consisted of
the fastest kayak split by 4 minutes, the fastest run split by almost
4 minutes, and the second fastest bike time. It was no lock, though,
as Male Expert team Ridge Rider(2:07:21) hit the water first
after posting the fastest bike split by over a minute. Even though
team Good, Bad, & Ugly took the lead in the kayak and never looked
back, Ridge Rider kept cruising fast enough to finish second
overall. Male Expert Team Work(2:11:32) rounded out the top
three overall finishers.

In the Male Expert Class, John Currier (2:18:32) once again
proved dominant, but Henry Colomb(2:19:25) gave him no time to
rest. Currier beat Colomb to the water by just under three minutes,
but it was Colomb strapping on his running shoes first. Currier was
able to catch Colomb and make up the difference on the run, winning by less
than a minute! Chris Pohowsky(2:26:16) finished third for the
Male Expert solo class.

Team Truant crushed the run

For the Team Female Experts, it came down to an all out battle close
to the finish line, with Team Truant(2:44:00) displaying some
powerful running. Team Truant started on the run 4 minutes behind Team
Odyssey(2:44:05), and passed Team Odyssey just as the finish line could
first be seen.

In the Team Mixed Expert Class, Blue Ridge
Outdoors(2:11:45) carried a small lead all the way to the run,
where they left little doubt by running 5 minutes faster than the
closest class competitor. Team Teva(2:19:31) finished a close
second, and team New River Scenic(2:46:37) took third.

Sarah Gillfillan(2:55:53) took the checkered flag for the
Female Class, and Rob Voorhees(2:40:29) led the big boys the
whole way to win the Clydesdale Class. For the Male Sports, it was
Dwight Shuler(2:31:30) getting the win, while Team Wood,
Water, and Wheels(2:22:05) winning the Team Male Sport Class.

After the race, it was time to kick back, listen to some cool live
music, and eat some of the great food provided (chicken right off the
grill and pasta salad).Thanks to Donnie Hudspeth, Wayne
Young, the New River CVB, and all the volunteers who helped
make this race happen. We can't wait to come back next year!